New iPad game could help identify children with autism

​London: Children with autism can be identified simply by tracking their hand movements while playing a game on an iPad, suggests new research.

"This is potentially a major breakthrough for early identification of autism, because no stressful and expensive tests by clinicians are needed," said one of the researchers Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Senior Lecturer in Child Development at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Autism spectrum disorder is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact, and its global prevalence is estimated at one in 160 children.

"Early detection is important as this can allow parents and children to gain access to a range of services support," Delafield-Butt said. Delafield-Butt and colleagues at a Polish start-up company Harimata, used fun iPad games to track players' hand movements - gathering information that can help identify autism.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research team outlined how the technology could offer an accessible and less intrusive way to diagnose the developmental disorder.

The researchers examined movement data gathered from 37 children with autism, aged three to six years. The children were asked to play games on smart tablet computers with touch-sensitive screens and embedded movement sensors.